Lost But Not Forgotten
by fallingintodusk
Summary: At the end of Mass Effect Redemption, we are left with Miranda and Liara facing off. Liara states she has a new friend and a new enemy. Nothing was ever implied to who or what that friend/enemy was. What would have happened if Liara rescued Feron, only for him to be abducted later? My story explores this possibility, following Liara and Feron between Mass Effect 1 and 2.
1. Rescue

"_What will your boss The Illusive Man do about Feron?" Liara snapped at Miranda._

"_The Drell knew the risks when he offered to help. We won't be going after him. If you want to, that's your business." She crossed her arms and turned her back on Liara. "But I'd focus on something else if I were you. Do something you want to do."_

"_That's exactly what I'm going to do, Miranda. I've got another friend to help now… and I've made a new enemy."_

"_I'm afraid we all have…" _

The two women stood their ground, each unsure of the other. Liara gave Miranda a cool, calculated stare, finally turning away with harsh regret. Miranda had pretended to be a friend, taking that opportunity to seize Shepard's body. It was to be examined at once. The cold, mutilated body of the Spectre was immediately placed onto an operating table. Liara cringed at the fact that Shepard was not offered a burial. What purpose could the body of her friend serve? It didn't make sense and didn't seem much better than what the Collectors would have done. Cerberus was too strong, and she could do nothing but take one last fleeting glance over her shoulder as she exited the lab.

She felt utterly helpless. _Before this happened I had purpose, value. Now what? Return to my Prothean Research? _Her previous life was a black, empty void with Shepard gone. She had no time to mourn her death or even process the events of the Collector attack on the _SR1. _

_It's not like they can bring her back…Or could they? _ She quickly dismissed these thoughts as ridiculous, a tightness settling in her chest. She took a deep breath, clearing her mind. Two things were clear to her: First, she must rescue Feron. Then she would devote all resources into locating and destroying The Shadow Broker. He was working for the Collectors was now her sworn enemy.

Feron's last words echoed in her head. _Liara, go! Go now… Save Shepard!_

He had deceived her more than once, but he still had risked his life to retrieve Shepard's body. And at the last moment sacrificed himself to save her. She would not sit back and let the Shadow Broker's men abduct him; she saw no other option but to rescue the Drell. _Goddess knows what the Shadow Broker will do to him. _The seconds were dwindling away. The time for action was now. With that thought, she set a course in Feron's single seated ship.

It was a one-hour flight through the Hourglass Nebula to Alingon. She fiddled nervously with the ships controls as thoughts and confusion flooded her mind. She grimaced. _I don't owe this man anything… Do I? _ After all, he had lied to her. But she felt strangely attached to him, a pull unlike anything she had felt with anyone but Shepard.

Liara descended onto Alingon with caution. Almost immediately the dense magnetic planet started giving the ship false readings. _Shit I knew this would happen, _she thought, wiping her brow. Her fingers worked the controls swiftly as she carefully recalled Feron's earlier flight path. The navigation started to lead the ship awry and she turned it off ignoring it completely.

Suddenly, a scream of alarms filled the air. She attended to them as quickly as she could noticing half were false alarms triggered by Alingon's magnetic death grip. Without warning a sinking filled her stomach. Looking up the ground was speeding towards her. She panicked briefly as the ship dived out of her control gripping the controls like a vice. _I must ride it out… If I fight the magnetic field I'm as good as dead. _ The ship plummeted into a nose-dive and Liara pulled with all her might at the last second as the ship nearly scraped Alingon's surface. Liara's heart was in her throat, sweat beaded on her brow.

After maintaining control of the ship for a small amount of time, she spotted the sleek and shiny metal and antennas. The fake command center, which served as a decoy Shadow Broker base, lay in a small crater. Staying a healthy distance away so not to be scene, she spotted a small crevice which to land.

_I hope I'm not too late. _She stepped off of Feron's one-man flier onto the frozen terrain of Alingon. Her legs felt unsteady beneath her, as her suit adjusted to the lesser gravity of the planet. Her boots crunched on the frozen rock and ice shards, and the freezing wind licked her face. Liara was out a kilometer from the station and started the trek towards the base.

She maneuvered Alingon's rocky terrain with care, so as not to be heard. Voices caught her attention before she had a visual and she came to a halt behind an overhang of frozen rock.

"Wait till he gets his hands on you, Drell. You're going to wish you were dead. I would kill you myself, but the Shadow broker wants you alive," said a raspy voice.

Liara peeked from beneath the rocky overhang, peering through the dim lighting at the large teal-colored Salarian assassin known as Tazzik. She could see him dragging Feron by a foot to the awaiting shuttle. He already looked bloody and badly beaten. Her heart seized for a moment, but she tamped the pain down.

"How's it feel to know that no one is coming for you? You should have known Cerberus does not do business with aliens. They used you. And that Asari? She's probably already forgotten you. You won't be missed."

"Tazzik," Feron gurgled through a struggled breath, "you're a coward and the Shadow Broker's pawn… you know who he is working for… You're a fool."

Tazzik dropped the Drell's foot, turned around and picked him up by his collar. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you."

Feron's lips snarled and he spit right in Tazzik's face. Tazzik turned red with rage as he drew his arm back and released a crushing blow across Feron's jaw. His body went limp, and Tazzik let his body fall onto the icy ground.

Liara flinched at the sound of the bone-crushing attack. _That son of a bitch! _She didn't have much time left. She quickly looked around, surveying the facility. Tazzik did not expect anyone to come to Feron's rescue. He was boarding the shuttle alone and unaided. The other men must have been continuing their work inside the base. She must get to him before anyone happened to walk outside or before Feron's limp body was loaded onto the shuttle. Now was her only chance.

She sprinted from under her cover running straight towards Tazzik. Startled by the sound, he jerked his head in her direction. Before he could react, he was frozen in place by Liara's stasis field. She threw herself in between Tazzik and Feron's motionless body. But Tazzik was no measly mercenary; he broke the stasis field within seconds. As his body became fluid again, Liara released a bright blue biotic punch across his cheek, sending him stumbling back a few meters and onto his back.

Tazzik returned to his feet with impressive reflex, pulling his gun from holster unloading a clip at Liara. The energy of the clips sent an electric shock through her body annihilated her biotic barrier. The barrier exploded with a pulse wave, knocking Liara onto the frozen ground.

"Silly Asari. Shall I kill you now or bring you alive? The Shadow Broker will likely pay me well for your head."

"Not if I kill you first!" She flung the weight of her torso forward, sending a warp field hurtling towards him. It hit him with such force he slammed against the shuttle his body forming a dent into the metal. She picked herself up, running to Feron's side. He was barely breathing and unconscious.

"Feron! Wake up!" She shook his body with to avail. _Goddess… How will I get him to the shuttle? _

She thought of an idea. Releasing a singularity field, Feron's body hovered a few meters into the night sky. She grabbed the tail to his jacket and started running in the opposite direction, keeping the singularity field by her side.

"Not so fast." Tazzik gripped his flank, dizzy from the impact. It would take a lot more than that to take down this bodybuildingmaster assassin.

He ran after her sending forth a concussive shot, blasting Liara to the ground. Her head ricocheted off the ice, and bright blue blood spattered onto the ground. Meanwhile, Feron floated above her in mid air, completely motionless.

The planet spun beneath her as she squinted, her eyes open just enough to see him storming towards her. Her vision was blurred and her head pounded. She looked up to see she was meters from the rocky overhang from where she had begun. She crawled as fast as she could, warm blood dripping down the side of her face.

"Where do you think you're going Asari?" his voice rasped; he spoke for blood.

_Just… a little… farther…_

Each pull of her upper body sent pain shooting down her spine. She clawed at the ground, pulling herself towards the icy overhand.

Seeing Feron hanging unconsciously in the air, Tazzik passed right under his body. His goal was now to destroy Liara.

Turning her body around, she faced up towards the night sky. It was just enough to get into position. He stormed towards her, leaping to aim a fatal blow to her skull.

With the last of her strength, she hit the icy overhang with a blast of biotics, and flung the rock at Tazzik. The rock was too heavy to propel with much speed, but dropped with precision on its target. Tazzik howled in pain as he was pinned to the ground. The boulder landed with a crunch, shattering the bones in his leg.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed in agony. "I'll kill you!"

"You won't be killing anyone for a long time." She staggered upright, approaching him with malice in her eyes. A new hatred for this man filled her.

Liara brought her foot up, with intentions to snap his neck, but of a sudden, men's voices rang out in alarm. She recoiled her foot, looking for Feron.

"The shuttle is still here!" Panicked voices filled the air.

"SHE'S HERE! KILL HER YOU FOOLS!" Tazzik yelled with a deep snarl.

There was no time. She located Feron a few meters away, still floating but wavering slightly in the air. She sprinted to him and released another controlled singularity field. Grabbing his coattail, she pulled him fleeing for the shuttle. The voices grew louder and shots began to ring out. The bullets zipped by her as she ran, assaulting the rocks near her feet.

_Almost there._

She was limping terribly, and she wondered if Feron's shuttle had any medi-gel. The terrain of the planet gave her just enough cover to elude the shots. She barely reached the shuttle in time, opening the doors and forcing Feron's limp body inside. She followed suit, hoisting herself up and throwing the weight of her body against the shuttle doors, closing them in the nick of time. Heat sinks pelted against the metal of Feron's single seat ship.

Without hesitation she leaped into the pilot seat, lifting the ship off the ground engaging the thrusters full force. She barely got off the ground in time, and worried she would be shot clean out of the air. She looked down at the hoard of Shadow Brokers men. Turians, Batarians and Humans all fired in anger. The ship immediately started giving her problems and did few nosedives trying to escape Alingon's magnetic pull. She ascended as fast and high as she could, placing some distance between the ship and planet.

Liara sunk back into the pilot's seat. _That… was close._

She turned her head to check on Feron's unconscious body. He was settled on the floor of the ship, tangled in between the wires. She had to get him medical attention, and fast.

_Chakwas… She will know what to do. And in complete confidence. _She set a course for the Citadel, knowing Chakwas was stationed there for relief efforts. _I just hope we make it in time. _


	2. Recovery

Once Liara was a safe distance from Alingon, she pulled up her omni-tool accessing Dr. Chakwas's information. With the Citadel in ruins, she was surehoped Dr. Chakwas would be on the front lines working to triage patients and treat the wounded.

The ride to the Citadel was not an easy one. Feron's single seat interstellar ship was not as smooth to maneuver as other ships she had manned. Liara nervously glanced back at Feron every few minutes, his body wavering and jerking with the ships every bump, his body tangled within the ships wiring.

As soon as she and Feron entered the Citadel Relay, a voice rang over the intercom.

"You are an unidentified air craft. You will be shot down if you do not provide clearance."

_Shit, Feron's ship has probably never been registered or flown anywhere near the Citadel._

"This is Dr. Liara T'Soni. I helped Commander Shepard in the recent battle against Sovereign. I need clearance to the hospital."

There was a small pause. "Dr. T'Soni. I think you would understand we are not letting any unregistered ships into the Citadel at this time. We have increased security, and we are still working towards the relief effort."

"I have an injured… uh, squad mate. He needs medical attention."

"I can clear you to the hospital only, Dr. T'Soni. But please understand, we barely have enough to help the people who live here. You would be better going to Illium."

"Dr. Karin Chakwas was a part of my crew. She treats my crew mates." Liara snapped back. Her eyes anxiously darted to Feron's slumped form, noticing his breathing was becoming shallower.

"Understood. Docking clearance granted."

_Ugh! It's about damn time._

Now that she was in Citadel space, she could call Dr. Chakwas's Omni-tool directly.

_What if she isn't at the Citadel? _Liara thought, slightly panicked.

As the arm extended to grapple the ship, she put the necessary information omni-tool and attempted to connect. A pause. No response. Liara stood and began pacing back and forth, glaring at her omni-tool. _Goddess, please answer…_

The ship lurched and Liara stumbled, tripping over wires and almost falling on Feron's limp body. She knew the docking procedure had finished, but she barely had enough strength left in her to walk, let alone to get Feron's body to the hospital. She knew her limitations; her biotics were useless in her current condition. She was so weak she could probably barely lift a teacup.

Static ripped through the air interrupting her thought. "Dr. T'Soni?" Chakwas's voice sounded over her omni-tool.

"Oh, thank the Goddess!" She exhaled deeply, the tension in her body eased.

"What's going on Dr. T'Soni? Are you ok?"

"I have someone that needs to be seen by you, in confidence. I will fill you in when I see you. I need help getting this Drell of my ship."

"A Drell? Never mind, I'll send someone to you immediately." Liara's omni-tool went silent.

A few human nurses along with a tall Asari Doctor met Liara at the docking area. The Asari Physician was dressed in white robes, with a deep pink pattern along the neck, sleeves and skirt. Her tattoos were extravagant, playing off the features of her large blue eyes. She acted pompous and annoyed as she looked at the state of the Drell and Liara's dirty and bloodied condition.

With a flick of her eyes, the two nurses immediately loaded Feron's unconscious body onto a gurney. The Asari physician glanced casually at his figure and then looked down at Liara.

"I'm Dr. Zen, pleasure to meet you." She had a cold and quick demeanor. "You have wounds on your head, and I suggest you follow us to be treated."

Liara gave Dr. Zen a nervous glance, her hand trembling as she raised it to her own brow. Pulling her hand away, she noticed it was covered with her own bright azure blood. "Where is Dr. Chakwas?"

"She is indisposed at the moment. I will be taking care of you until she is finished." She motioned at the two human nurses, and they responded by pushing Feron away in the gurney, heading for Huerta.

Liara's head was starting to pound, and she felt a bit faint. Dr. Zen gave her a questionable stare. "Are you coming, Asari?"

First there was a ringing in her ears, then spots. Dizziness commenced and before Liara knew what was happening the floor rushed up and greeted her with a forceful impact.

"Nasreen! Vara! Get nurse Channing out here. I need help with this Asari, now!" Dr. Zen screamed at them. They hastily pushed Feron's body away as Dr. Zen glanced down at Liara's crumpled body. _Damn, we barely have enough help and these two had to show up. _ She positioned Liara's body for the awaiting stretcher.

As she slowly regained consciousness, she recognized a familiar face.

"My dear, Liara, how are you feeling?"

"Dr. Chakwas…" She blinked a few times, the room drifting in and out of focus. "Why didn't you meet us? Where is Feron?" she questioned from the white linens of a hospital bed.

"Easy, easy. One thing at a time. I was in surgery when you called. I ordered Dr. Zen to meet you until I was finished with my case. She can be cold, but she is a good doctor. We are stretched thin and everyone is a bit on edge." She bent over Liara, sliding a hand behind her back and gripping Liara's arm with her free hand. Once Liara was propped up, she turned bringing her a cool glass of water. "Don't worry about your friend now. We need to get you back on your feet and feeling better."

"What happened to me?" she inquired.

"Liara, you passed out from over exertion. I stitched up your head wound, and you sustained a few bruises around your torso. But besides severe dehydration, you will recover in no time." She crossed her arms looking concerned. "What in the heavens did you get into?"

"I…" her voice trailed off as she shot her eyes around the room nervously. "I went and retrieved Shepard's body. The Drell assisted me."

Dr. Chakwas's face went pale, open mouthed and aghast as she stared at Liara for several seconds over the mention of the Commander.

"You what? Why?" She paced nervously in the small room.

"It's a long story… The Collectors were after her body and Cerberus made some sort of implication she could be brought back and…" she trailed off as Dr. Chakwas raised an eyebrow.

"She died Liara, we were both there… She sacrificed herself to make sure we would survive… No medical miracle is going to bring Shepard back to life, it's simply impossible." The thought of the Collector attack on the _SSV Normandy _brought a wave of anxiety over Dr. Chakwas as she recalled the horror of the incident. She exhaled deeply crossing her arms, "The Collectors, that's a name I haven't heard in a while. What would the Collectors want with Shepard?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. It must have something to do with Shepard's visions, but I just haven't pieced together the details." She took a heavy gulp of her water and continued. "The Collectors' business is usually only tied into slavers, but someone hired them to take out Shepard. That Reaper, Sovereign, we saw more just like them in Shepard's vision caused by the beacon. They must have hired the Collectors…" she trailed off as Liara realized she had been talking about Shepard as some object. The thoughts and emotions were too many. Her head fell as tears began streaming down her face. She missed her so much.

Doctor Chakwas, seeing the tears, quickly came to her side, pulling her into an embrace. "My dear, we all miss Commander Shepard." The doctor's tears joined Liara's as they sat in silence mourning their friend.

Doctor Chakwas rarely cried over a death, but Shepard was different, she felt like a mother to the young Spectre. She had admittedly not cared for anyone so much besides Captain Anderson in all her years. They pulled away from another, each looking at the other solemnly.

"We can't dwell on it, dear," she sniffed. "There really is no point." She handed Liara a tissue, taking one for herself.

"I know… Is it wrong of me to still have hope?" she questioned.

"I suppose not, but please don't get your hopes up." She gave Liara an understandable glance as she continued. "I'm glad we ran into each other when we did. I have been promoted, stationed at the Mars Navel Center, and I leave as of tomorrow."

"Well, congratulations on your promotion. I will stay in touch. But what about Feron?"

"The Drell? Well I had to call on a Hanar colleague. Drell anatomy is so different than Asari, Human or even Turian for that matter. He will be fine, minor concussion and bruises, but nothing serious. He should be awake and alert by tomorrow. I suggest you take that time to get some rest."

Liara had a hard time sitting around doing nothing; her studies, research and missions with Shepard took up almost every waking hour. "I'll try…"

"Please do," Doctor Chakwas ordered. "What do you plan on doing with him? With yourself?"

"I haven't really thought that far ahead… I have no idea where Feron lives or what he plans on doing, but I am loyal to him for helping me," she said, pondering her own situation. "I suppose I'll go back to my apartment on Illium, try to find this Godforsaken Shadow Broker…"

"Illium sounds like a good idea. Getting back to some sort of normalcy is the best thing you can do for yourself at this point," she agreedsaid, strolling back over to Liara's side. "I'm afraid this is where we part. I have another surgery case scheduled, and then I pack to leave for Mars tomorrow."

"I understand." Liara gave Doctor Chakwas a tight hug that lingered for a few moments. "Goodbye Dr. Chakwas, and thank you."

"Your welcome. Check in with Dr. Zen in the morning to get your Drell discharged."

They gave each other a kind smile as Dr. Chakwas left Liara alone in the room.


End file.
